Post card for mailing a picture

ABSTRACT

A post card having an address and postage space on one side of the card and a space for attachment of a photograph, picture or information on the opposite side. The space for attachment of the photograph or picture is at least partially covered with an adhesive material that is in turn covered with a removable backing material to protect the adhesive until it is used. The address side includes adhesive material along at least two opposite edges thereof and that adhesive is also covered with a removeable backing material to protect the adhesive until it is used. The card is used by addressing, applying postage, removing the backing material from the one side and attaching a picture, photograph or other information and then mailing. The addressee then mounts the card by removing the backing from the opposite side and pressing the card onto a page of an album to display the photograph.

United States Patent [1 1 Nasalslti et a1.

1 1 Nov, 12, 1.974

1 1 POST CARD FOR MAILING A PICTURE [76] lnventors: Paul J. Nasalski, 39A Dilla St.,

Mass. 01757; Edward L. Robinson, 104 Greenwood Av., Wakefield,

Gonezy 229/92.8 Tucker 229/92.8

Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Assistant Examiner-Stephen P. Garbe v Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robert T. Dunn 57 ABSTRACT A post card having an address and postage space on one side of the card and a space for attachment of a photograph, picture or information on the opposite side. The space for attachment of the photograph or picture is at least partially covered with an adhesive material that is in turn covered with a removable backing material to protect the adhesive until it is used. The address side includes adhesive material along at least two opposite edges thereof and that ad hesive is also covered with a removeable backing material to protect the adhesive until 'it is used. The card is used by addressing, applying postage, removing the backing material from the one side and attaching a picture, photograph or other information and then mailing. The addressee then mounts the card by removing the backing from the opposite side and pressing the card onto a page of an album to display the photograph.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures ADDRESS PLACE STAMP HERE .rIaO! Pr 121. 52:1

MESSAGE FIG ucanndv I m m 0 ml OfiM m n O U Mum am FIG 2 PATENTEU NOV 12 mm FIG 3 POST CARD FOR MAILING A PICTURE This invention relates to devices and cards for mailing a photograph or picture to an addressee, who may use the device to hold or present the picture.

Heretofore, envelopes, cards and packages for mailing pictures, photographs and other information have been designed to provide the addressee with a stand or holder for the picture. Some of these include stiff paper holders for the picture or photograph, folded by the addressor to present a space for an address and postage and so provide a package for mailing the picture or photograph. When this package is received, it is unfolded and/or refolded in a different manner to provide a holder or stand for the picture. Some of these packages have made use of adhesives to hold the picture and others merely enfold the picture to hold it securely. As a rule, however, the package is bulky and requires more than the minimum postage. Furthermore, the ef fort to prepare the package for mailing the picture and the later effort by the receiver of unfolding and refolding the package to provide a stand for the picture are excessively troublesome and complicated. Some of these packages, particularly those which do not use adhesives, have a tendency to come apart en route and the picture is lost.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple device by which to mail a picture or photograph to an addressee who can mount the picture in an album without requiring the addressee to fold, cut or attach anthing else thereto.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for mailing a picture or photograph to an addressee who can mount the picture for presentation, all without encountering the above described problems of prior devices of this sort.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a post card equipped for holding a picture or photograph for mailing the picture to an addressee who can readily mount the picture and card in an album for display of the picture.

It is a further object that said post card be adapted for attachment thereto of more than one size picture of photograph. I

In accordance with the present invention, a simple post card consisting of a single sheet of stiff paper, preferably of the weight commonly used for post cards, is equipped on one side with a space for imprinting the addressee s address and applying postage. On the opposite side a space is provided for attaching a picture or a photograph. Portions of both sides of the card are covered with an adhesive which in turn is covered with a removeable backing material to protect the adhesive until it is used. The adhesive on the picture side of the post card is for attaching the picture or photograph to the card with the face side of the picture up, and the adhesive onthe address side of the card is for attaching the card to a picture or a photograph album.

The adhesive is preferably a transparent polyester film and the backing material which covers the adhesive on both sides of the card may be a wax-type paper. The adhesive and backing paper which covers it, may be laid down in strips on both sides of the card and may provide for attaching pictures of different size to the card. The strips may be shaped attractively and the backing material may be of different colors or be imprinted with a design to lend an attractive appearance to the card when it is used for mailing and mounting in an album.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of embodiments of the invention which represent the best known uses thereof. These embodiments are shown in the figures in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the address and picture side of a simple embodiment of the invention;

' FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the structure and use of a second embodiment wherein the picture side of the card is equipped for holding pictures or photographs of different size;

FIG. 5 illustrates the address side of the post card shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

A simple embodiment of the present invention consists of the card shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The address side of the card shown in FIG. 1 is divided substantially equally between the address space 1 and the message space 2 by line 3 at about the middle of the card. An area 4 in the right hand corner of this side of the card is provided for postage. The address to which the card is to be mailed is provided in the area 5 below the area for postage. This is substantially the conventional layout for simple picture post cards currently in use. Normally, the opposite side of the conventional picture post card is imprinted with the picture and so the post age area, the area for the address and a brief message are all provided on one side as shown in FIG. 1.

In accordance with the present invention, the address side of the card also contains areas such as 6 and 7 which are covered with an adhesive, which in turn is covered with a backing material such as the backing strips 8 and 9, respectively, that protect the adhesive until it is used. In the present invention, the adhesive covering the areas 8 and 9 is used by the addressee of the card to mount the card and picture on the other side of the card to a page in an album such as a photograph album.

The other side, the picture side, of the card is shown in FIG. 2 and includes an area 11 to which a picture or photograph is attached and an area 12 for imprinting information such as the date, place and subject of the picture or photograph. The area Ill is at least partially covered with adhesive as along areas 13 and 14 and these areas of adhesive are in turn covered by backing strips 15 and 16, respectively, which cover the adhesive and protect it until it is used.

The mailing post card shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used first by the addressor or sender who fills in the address and message and applies postage and then turns the card over, removes the backing strips 15 and 16 and places the picture or photograph side face up against the adhesive areas 13 and 14 and presses the picture against the adhesive to secure it to the card. The sender then fills out the information in area 12 identifying the picture and mails the card. The addressee or receiver of the card mounts the card on a page of an album by simply removing the backing strips 8 and 9 to expose the adhesive areas 6 and 7 and sticks the card onto a page of the album with the picture oriented as desired. Thus, the picture is mounted in the album without removing it from the mailing post card and the post card provides a mount and identification of the picture as it is mounted in the album. A decorative design 17 may be provided around the picture on the card to make an attractive presentation in the album.

The picture side of the mailing post card may be equipped for attaching pictures or photographs of different size. For this purpose, a multitude of adhesive areas are provided, each covered with a strip of backing material to define the edges of different size pictures or photographs. These provisions are included in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5. Here, the picture side of the card has an area 18 for identifying the picture just as in FIG. 2 and includes a'multitude adhesive strip areas 21 to 24, all substantially parallel to each other in the picture area 6 on the same side of the card A picture or photograph 25 of relatively large dimensions is attached to the card by removing all of the backing strips 26 to 29 from the adhesive areas 21 to 24, respectively, and pressing the picture face up against these adhesive areas to secure the picture to the card.

A smaller picture of photograph 31 is attached to the same card shown in FIG. 3. Here, the dimensions of the picture correspond to the spacing between the adhesive areas 22 and 24 and so only backing strips 27 to 29 are removed and the picture is attached face up to the adhesive areas 22 to 24. The sender or receiver of the card can then cut off or tear off along the broken line 32 the adhesive strip 21 which is not used.

On the address side of this same card, address and message areas 33 and 34 are provided and divided by line 35. Onthe address side, a postage area 36 and area 37 for an address are provided. Attaching adhesive areas 38 and 39 covered by backing strips 40 and 41, respectively, are provided for attaching the card tov a page of an album, all substantially as already described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. An additional adhesive area 42 covered by backing strip 43 is also provided on the message area, inside the cut line 32. When the and 39 on the address side for attaching the card to a page of an album.

The adhesive applied to both sides of the post card may be a polyester film carried on one side of a suitable backing paper. The backing paper may be a wax-type paper with the adhesive on one side of the backing paper. This adhesive and backing are currently provided commercially in a roll from which the backing is peeled off as a strip carrying with it a layer of the adhesive. This strip is then applied to the mailing post card with the adhesive side against the card. The backing paper is a pressure sensitive wax-type paper and is readily removed from the adhesive by merely peeling it off. The adhesive is then exposed to accomodate the pressure attachment of the picture to the card or the card to the album as already described herein. One suitable commercially available source for the adhesive and backing is a pressure sensitive transparent polyester adhesive film carried on a roll of wax-type backing paper. This is currently available from the 3M Company of Minneapolis and identified as Double Coated No. 415 Tape. This is but one source of suitable adhesive and backing paper for use in the present invention; Many other suitable adhesives could be used, which are applied first to the card and then a backing is applied to the adhesive to provide the post card shown in the embodiments described herein.

The above embodiments of the present invention make particular use of adhesive and backing which is commercially available in roll form, the width of the roll being the width of the strips described herein. The width of the adhesive strips and backing in both embodiments described herein is conveniently the same as the width of the commercially available roll of adhesive. Accordingly, all of the adhesive areas on both sides of the mailing post cards are shaped as strips, because this is the shape of adhesive off the roll as it is laid down on the card. Clearly, the adhesive areas on both sides of the post card could be shaped otherwise and still provide for adequate attachment of a picture or photograph to one side of the mailing card and for attachment of the card itself to a page in an album. For example, the adhesive areas could define a closed frame for attaching the picture to the card or for attaching the card to the album or both. Additional adhesive areas could be at the center of the card for attaching the picture to the card or for attaching the card to a picture or photograph album. These and other modifications and arrangements of the imprinting areas and adhesive areas on both sides of the mailing post card may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A post card for mailing a picture attached to the card comprising,

space on the first side of the card for imprinting an address and applying postage,

space on the second side of the card for attaching the picture,

an adhesive covering at least part of the second side covered with a removable backing material to protect that adhesive until it is used, and an adhesive covering areas along at least two opposite edges of the first side with a removeable backing material to protect that adhesive until used,

whereby a picture can be attached to the adhesive on the second side of the card and mailed to the addressee who can mount the card with the picture in an album by removing the backing from the first side and affixing the card to the album;

2. A post card as in claim 1 wherein,

the adhesive on the second side defines a portion of the area of the second side, and

the remaining area of the second side provides space on which to imprint information about the picture.

3. A post card as in claim 1 wherein,

the adhesive on the second side of the card defines at least two overlapping areas of different size on said second side which match the areas of at least two different picture sizes.

4. A post card as in claim 3 wherein,

the adhesive on the second side is in three parallel strips, one pair of said strips defining one picture size and the other pair of said strips defining another picture size.

5.;A post card as in claim 4 wherein,

the strips of adhesive are spaced so that each pair of said strips provide adhesive for securing the picture to the card along two opposite edges of the picture.

'6. A post card as in claim 1 wherein,

the adhesive is a transparent polyester film and the posite edges of the card, and

backing is a wax-type paper. all such strips on both sides of the card are parallel. 7. A post card as in claim 1 wherein, the adhesive on the first side is in two strips along op- 9. A post card as in claim 8 wherein,

posite edges of the card. I 5 the adhesive is a transparent polyester film and the 8. A post card as in claim 4 wherein, backing is a wax-type paper.

the adhesive on the first side is in two strips along op- 

1. A post card for mailing a picture attached to the card comprising, space on the first side of the card for imprinting an address and applying postage, space on the second side of the card for attaching the picture, an adhesive covering at least part of the second side covered with a removable backing material to protect that adhesive until it is used, and an adhesive covering areas along at least two opposite edges of the first side with a removeable backing material to protect that adhesive until used, whereby a picture can be attached to the adhesive on the second side of the card and mailed to the addressee who can mount the card with the picture in an album by removing the backing from the first side and affixing the card to the album.
 2. A post card as in claim 1 wherein, the adhesive on the second side defines a portion of the area of the second side, and the remaining area of the second side provides space on which to imprint information about the picture.
 3. A post card as in claim 1 wherein, the adhesive on the second side of the card defines at least two overlapping areas of different size on said second side which match the areas of at least two different picture sizes.
 4. A post card as in claim 3 wherein, the adhesive on the second side is in three parallel strips, one pair of said strips defining one picture size and the other pair of said strips defining another picture size.
 5. A post card as in claim 4 wherein, the strips of adhesive are spaced so that each pair of said strips provide adhesive for securing the picture to the card along two opposite edges of the picture.
 6. A post card as in claim 1 wherein, the adhesive is a transparent polyester film and the backing is a wax-type paper.
 7. A post card as in claim 1 wherein, the adhesive on the first side is in two strips along opposite edges of the card.
 8. A post card as in claim 4 wherein, the adhesive on the first side is in two strips along opposite edges of the card, and all such strips on both sides of the card are parallel.
 9. A post card as in claim 8 wherein, the adhesive is a transparent polyester film and the backing is a wax-type paper. 